Atlantis is a planned town about 40 km up the West Coast, with a large industrial area beside its housing. It is windy, sandy and fairly isolated, so pests here have a lot to do with dune sand, open veld and the factories and warehouses on the edge of town.
Atlantis: what drives crawling insects here
Ants, crickets and burrowing spiders love the sand, and thick-tailed scorpions turn up under stones, wood piles and in garages. German cockroaches are the main indoor problem in shared and backyard housing.
Homes are mainly brick council houses and semi-detached units built from the 1970s onwards, plus newer RDP housing and backyard structures in suburbs like Saxonsburg, Protea Park and Witsand. Small yards and shared walls let rats and cockroaches move between neighbours easily. The industrial zone has big warehouses, food and manufacturing plants that need proper commercial monitoring programmes.
Atlantis sits in sandveld, with big white dunes on the edge of town and open strandveld scrub all around. The wind blows strongly most of the year, the summers are dry and hot, and the soft sand makes burrowing easy for rodents. Winter rain is lighter than in the city, but low spots still flood.
Rodents, especially in homes near open veld and in the industrial area, are a constant. Ants and crickets do well in the sandy ground, and scorpions turn up more here than in most of Cape Town. Flies build up in summer around bins and stock holdings.
Tell-tale signs
- Crickets sheltering in the garage, under appliances or behind skirting boards.
- Loud chirping at night that stops as soon as you walk towards it.
- Patches of grass that brown and die, and lift easily because the roots have been cut.
- Birds and hadedas probing the lawn intensively, which is often a sign of mole crickets or other insects underneath.
- Large numbers of crickets attracted to outside lights on warm nights.
- Small chewed holes in clothing, curtains or paper stored in damp places.
Crickets do not bite people or spread disease in any meaningful way. Indoors, the main issues are lost sleep, droppings and small amounts of damage to fabrics, carpets and stored paper. Mole crickets are a bigger problem for property, because their tunnels cut grass roots and can damage lawns, sports fields and seedlings badly. Large numbers of crickets attracted to lights also draw in spiders and geckos, and sometimes scorpions.
Worth knowing
Crickets are not dangerous to children or pets, so there is no need to panic or use strong products indoors. A perimeter treatment keeps the products outside, away from living areas.
Crickets sometimes damage stored clothing, curtains and cardboard in damp outbuildings. If you use a garage or storeroom for storage, dry it out and box things in plastic.
What happens when we come out
Indoors, we focus on finding where the crickets are coming in and hiding, then apply a residual treatment to entry points, door thresholds, garage edges and other hiding spots. Granular baits can be used around the perimeter of the house to reduce numbers before they reach the walls. For mole crickets, the lawn is treated with a targeted product and watered in so it reaches the tunnels, and timing matters because young mole crickets near the surface are easier to control. We use the least-toxic effective option and avoid spraying open living areas.
Want the full step-by-step? See how our cricket control service works.
Stopping a repeat visit
- Water the lawn deeply but less often, as constantly damp soil suits mole crickets.
- Swap bright white outside lights for yellow or warm-coloured bulbs, which attract fewer insects.
- Keep the garage and storeroom tidy and dry, since crickets love damp cardboard and clutter.
- Seal cracks in walls and around window frames, and check that airbricks have intact mesh.
- Clear leaf litter, mulch, firewood and garden rubbish away from the walls of the house.
What affects the price
The cost depends on whether it is an indoor nuisance, a lawn problem or both, and on the size of the property and garden. A large lawn with widespread mole cricket damage takes more product and time than a perimeter treatment for a house. Follow-up treatments, if needed to catch a second generation, are included in a free quote upfront.
One cricket behind the fridge is a job for a torch and a glass, not a pest control company. If crickets keep coming in night after night, or your lawn is lifting with tunnels, a professional perimeter or lawn treatment will save you a lot of frustration. Buying lawn insecticide and guessing the timing often wastes money.
Questions we get asked in Atlantis
Are crickets harmful?
No, crickets do not bite people or carry disease to any real extent. The problems are noise, minor damage to fabric and paper, and lawn damage from mole crickets.
Are scorpions common in Atlantis?
They are more common here than in most of Cape Town because of the sandveld and open veld around the town. Most are thick-tailed types found under rocks, rubble and wood, so clearing yards and treating hiding spots makes a big difference.
Do you come out to Atlantis for cricket control?
Yes. Atlantis is part of our regular Blaauwberg & West Coast route, along with Mamre, Melkbosstrand, Bloubergstrand. Most bookings are done within about 48 hours, and after-hours visits can be arranged.
Can you do pest control for factories in the Atlantis industrial area?
Yes, we set up regular monitoring with bait stations, insect checks and written reports. That suits food plants and warehouses that need records for audits.
Is the lawn treatment safe for pets?
We use a targeted product and water it in. Keep pets off the treated area until it has dried, and we will give you specific guidance on the day.
Why can I never find the chirping cricket?
Crickets stop chirping when they sense vibration or movement nearby, and the sound bounces off walls, which makes it hard to pinpoint. Turning off lights and moving slowly helps.
Office 021 012 5825 · WhatsApp 074 697 2254